African American-Focused Advertising Agencies Education and Training

Become a successful African-American advertising professional with the right education and training

For a booming career with African-American focused advertising agencies, it is important to seek out the best education and training opportunities. The most successful African-American advertising agency professionals not only have the right academic degrees, but also demonstrate a desire to hone their skills through continuing education opportunities.

Most African-American advertising agencies require the minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. If you want to begin a career or desire to advance your career in African-American advertising, consider the following African-American focused advertising agencies education and training recommendations:

1. Earn a bachelor's or master's degree in advertising, marketing, communications or graphic design, preferably from a historically African-American college or university.

2. Attend seminars, classes and conferences offered by industry associations to stay current on black advertising trends.

3. Learn from African-American ad agency industry peers by studying advertising case histories and campaigns.

 

Use scholarships and internships to land a job with African-American ad agencies

It is necessary to have a college degree to secure a job with black advertisement agencies. African-American marketing and advertising firms seek job candidates with the minimum of a bachelor's degree, with preference often given to students from historically black universities. Look for scholarships and internships available specifically to African-American students pursuing advertising studies.
Try: The Multicultural Advertising Intern Program offers internships to African-American advertising students and teaches students to sharpen their skills in real-world settings. Apply for the Cardiss Collins Scholarship for Diversity, a scholarship created for African American students of advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Get current info about African-American advertising trends by attending industry training events

Several advertising industry associations offer training classes and seminars to help black ad agency professionals stay informed of the latest trends. Some educational opportunities are continuing education classes designed for senior-level ad executives, while others are career fairs or introductory workshops focused on those just starting out in advertising with African-American agencies.
Try: The Mosaic Career Fairs sponsored by the American Advertising Federation offer workshops, panel discussions and recruiting information geared toward minority students entering the advertising field. The American Association of Advertising Agencies sponsors the Center for Excellence in Advertising, which provides advertising training modules for mid- to senior-level black advertising professionals and executives.

Learn from your peers by researching African-American ads, case studies and articles

Learn about successes and challenges encountered by African-American ad agency peers in real work situations by researching advertising case studies. Also read up on relevant articles addressing current black advertising tactics and strategies.
Try: Get information about current African-American advertising campaigns at Target Market News. Research strategies for advertising to black communities at Black Enterprise.

 

• If you are considering a career in advertising, read up on the advertising business through trade publications and shadow an account exec at an African-American advertising agency for a day. This will give you valuable real-life training experience not necessarily encountered in a classroom setting.

Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

---